Los Angeles, CA … Bringing the outdoors in with color; overcoming low ceilings; using strong color to create a romantic sanctuary; these are just the beginning of the design ideas that inspire visitors as they step into the refuge named Lady in Waiting Suite by Kristi Nelson of KMNelson Design, LLC (www.kmnelsondesign.com), at the 2011 Pasadena Showcase House of Design for the Arts (www.pasadenashowcase.org).

Nelson was selected to transform the former guest suite into an imaginary retreat for a college-age daughter to work and dream in when at home, and to warmly host visiting guests when she’s not. This year’s Pasadena Showcase House, a stunning 5 acre estate, was built by iconic architect Paul Williams in 1927. The 47th annual house and garden tour opened to the public Sunday, April 17 and runs through Sunday, May 15, 2011.

“Before you do anything to a room, decide first how you’re going to live in and use the space,” explains Nelson, president and principal designer of KMNelson Design, LLC. Drawing on her passion for art, Classicism, and color, and more than a decade of experience in her design practice, Nelson envisioned a room mixing the fanciful with the functional to transport it’s inhabitants to a woodland refuge where time and place give way to daydreaming, imagination, and creativity. In her woodland “folly” concept she affectionately calls, “Flight of Fantasy,” Nelson thoughtfully placed each item to evoke a sense of serenity and wonder in its guests.

In the once tired, now-luxurious suite Nelson deftly layers period antiques with custom and contemporary furnishings; adds modern touches of glamour; then envelopes it all in a striking combination of vibrant apple green walls contrasted by creamy-white silk window treatments and wall panels. The fabulous wrought-iron canopy bed, designed to resemble entwining trees and branches, is dressed in a sumptuous combination of fabrics from Osbourne & Little, Scalamandre and Duralee to provide a welcoming, restful retreat.

Nelson filled the rooms with fanciful objéts d’art and furnishings that delight the senses including the show-stopping, custom-fabricated bed, a distinctively contemporary shagreen-covered desk, and period Regency recamier. The magical bath features a mirrored and metallic painted ceiling that draws in light and reflects the custom Thassos and Luna Verde marble tile design below.

The centerpiece of the bath enclosure is a fabulous, new-to-the-market, sand-blasted tile wall which is accentuated by a striking sheer fabric “shower curtain.” A pair of Bagues rock crystal and gilt sconces above the vanity gives the woodland theme an opulent spin.

Additional notable and inspiring details include a moss-and-wood chair befitting a scene from Pans Labyrinth, rare 19th c. engraved bird prints by George Edwards, twig lighting from Vaughan, decorative nests, and period French and English majolica. A set of framed antique intaglios add to the charm of the papered dressing room walls.